Sliding safety lock lever



smmue SAFETY LOCK LEVER Original Filed Sept. 25. 1941 [T I H P INVENTOR v ErnegjRSclzroeder Patented Oct. 30, 1945 SLIDING sun'rv Loon LEVER Ernest R. Schroeder, HawthornaNQ 1., assignor to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Original application September 25, 1941, Serial No. 412,334. Divided and this application July 25, 1944, Serial No. 546,529

4 cr nes. (01. 105-311) This invention relates to lock levers in general and in particular to lock levers for use on drop bottom mine cars and is a division of application Serial 412,334 filed September 25 1 941.

Practically all drop bottom mine cars as now built are provided with doors hung on transversely extending hinge axes and with at least the rearmost door held in raised position by means of a latch or lock. lever carried by the end wall or end sill structure of the car. In order to make these cars automatic the lever controlling the lock extends to the side of the car sufiiciently to be raisedby proper trackside equipment, thus re'-, leasing the lock and dropping the door. Since it is necessary for the arm to project to the side of the car, obviously this lever will strike any trackside obstructions and be easily bent or in some cases moved to an unlatched position releasing the door in the mine with consequent delay, tyin up the entire mine operation. Certain cars of the automatic drop bottom type have been constructed with latching dogs engaging the lock lever to prevent its being raised, but these have not been satisfactory for they didnot in any way prevent the bending of the lock trip lever. It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a lever for operating the door latch, which lever has a movable end portion'movable to a.

position within the clearance limits of the car.

A further object of the invention is the pro- VisiOn of a multi-part latch lever for drop bottom cars with parts of the lever slidable relative to other parts and to a position within the clearance limits of the car.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a transversely slidable latch lever part which may be held in a retracted position within the clearance limits of the car.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an end view of a drop bottom mine car with the improved latch lever applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a partial end view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the latch lever in retracted position, and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the improved latch lever.

Referring now to the drawing in detail it will be seen that the latch lever has been applied to the end wall 2 of a drop bottom mine car having a drop door 4 hinged in any suitable manner to the side sills 6. The side sills have attached thereto, as is customary, braces or gussets 8 supporting the side wings of the ca and giving them added'rigldity. Any suitable type oi end construction and bumper H1 is attached to the side sills to complete the frame of thecar and to permit of its operation in train. The car is supported upon trackrails II by means of wheels: l2, as is customary. The car endwalls are itably braced by members l4 and carry, in the present case, a plate l6 towhichis attached an offset plate l8, both plates being pierced to receive a. pivot pin 2! upon which the inner part 22 of the latch lever is pivoted. The latch lever has attached thereto in any suitable manner a hook portion 24 adapted to engage under andsupport a tongue 26 carried. by the drop bottom door. The book is constantly urged toward door supp rting posi-' tion by means of a compression sprin 28 interposed between the inner end of the lever and a bracket 30 fastened to the end structure of the car. In order to support the lever when the door is open, as well as to guide the lever in its vertical movements, a combined guide and support strap 32 is attached tothe end wall structure oi the car. The construction as described so far is more or less standard, yet subject to slight varia-- tions, suchas supporting the door latch lever end wall of the car.

.As shown the latch" lever inner part 22 is of tubula formation having afiattened part 34 by means of which the lever ispivoted on the pivot pin 20. The inner end of the tubular latch lever is closed by means of a plate 36 welded or other- Wisesecured thereto and adapted to coact with the spring 28 in retaining the latch hook 24 in engagement with the door projection 26. The outer end of the tubular latch lever is threaded and has secured thereto a modified cap 38, which cap is provided with a central opening 40 and a projecting hooklike finger 42. A cylindrical latch lever extension 44 of either tubular or solid construction is mounted to slide within the tubular main latch lever as is clearly shown by the drawing. This latch lever extension in the present case is of tubular form and has attached to its outer end a plug member 46 having a. finger.

the latch lever and its extension will operate in much the same manner as the standard latch now used on the bulk of drop bottom mine cars.

When, however, the car is to be sent into the mine or traverse the mine workings, the latch lever extension 44 -'is=pushed into the-main tubular partffoffthe",latch. lever and ,the' finger 4,8, turned so as to engage in the hook like projection 42 of the cap member 38, thus retaining the latch lever extension in the position clearly shown in Fig; 2. In this position thelatch lever blyipivotally carried by. the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable to release is located Within the clearance;limits of thecar making it practically impossible for the lever to contact trackside obstructions and accidentally i release the doors. Releaseof the latch lever extension is accomplished by merelyrotating finger outwardly, thus placing the extension in the position showninFig. 1. r

From the preceding description of the latch 1ever and its operation it will be seen that the lever extension when in an operative position will permit the latch lever tob'e operated'in substantially the Same manner as the 'present standard type of latch leverfi When, however, 'the latch lever extension is placed in an inoperative position, that is, an inoperative position so far'as r'elease of the drop bottom 'dooris concerned, then the latch lever parts are wholly within the cleargance limits of the car and trackside obstructions can not bend or distort the lever.

' While the invention has been described more or less in detail with specific reference to certain modifications, it will'b'e obvious to persons skilled in the art thatvarious other modifications and rearrangements of parts' may be made'and all such modifications and rearrangements of parts are cont'empl'ated as fall within the'scope of the appendedclaims defining my in'v'entiorlJ Whatisclaimedis:

1. In a 'drop bottom mine car; a'drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car', alatch assembly pivotally carried by the car and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position 'andmo vable,lto release the "door for opening, said assembly including a tubular main latch lever part located wholly within the clearance limits of the car, and a latch lever extension slidably carried within the tubuthe door for opening, saidassembly including a tubular main latch lever part located wholly Within the. clearance limits of the car, a latch lever extension slidably carried within the tubular -mainlatch, lever part and slidable from a retracted position within the clearance limits of v the car to' an extended position projecting beyond 48 out of the hook like member'42 and pulling theclearance limits of the car, and means carried in part by said tubular main latch lever part for retaining said latch lever extension in retracted position. 7 I

' 3; In a drop bottom mine car, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car; a latch assembly carried by the car and normally engaging the door to retain the same in closed position and movable to release the door for opening, said assembly including a tubularmain latch member located wholly within the clearance limit of the car, and a cylindrical latch member extension mounted toslide within the tubular main latch member and slidable from a retracted position within the clearancerlimits of the car to an extended position projecting substantially in alignment with said tubular main latch member 7 beyond the clearance limits of the car,

4; In a drop bottom mine car, a drop bottom door hingedly carried by the car, a latch assembly pivotally carried bythe car' and having a part normally engaging the door to retain the same in raised position and movable'to release the door for opening, said assembly including a substantially hollow "mainlatch lever part located whollyfwithin the clearance limits of the car,"and alatch lever extension slidably carried within the hollow main latch lever part and slid able longitudinally thereof from a retracted position within the clearance limits of the, car to an extended position projecting beyond the clearance limits of the car. I I

' ERNEST R. .ElC tIiItOEDEI-t. 

